Railway-rail-engaging device



Aug. 17 1926. 1,596,166

- E. A. EVERETT R'AILWAY RAIL ENGAGING DEVICE} I Filed June 15. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2/ J p[ 5/ 1:12; I 3w 1NVENTO-R.

Aug. 17 1926.

E. A. EVERETT RAILWAY RAIL ENGAGING DEVICE- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15, 1925 Patented Aug. 17, 1926. K I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

EDWARD A. EVERETT, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, AS SIGNOR TO NANDE i RAILWAY-RAIL-ENGAGING DEVICE.

CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. I

Application filed June 15, 1925. Serial No. 37,396.

This invention relates to devices for use on railway rails and particularly such devices which are supported by means having rolling engagement with the rails. Those familiar with the art realize that in laying railroad track it is necessary to provide for the expansion of the rails due to temperature changes by inserting spacers from the top between the abutting ends of the rails while they are being spiked to the ties and bolted together by the fish plates, and while this is being done it has been found desirableand even necessary that various devices for use on the trackway be rolled along the rails. The spacers as usually constructed have an angular portion protruding above the face of the rail necessitating entire or partial lifting of these devices at each spacer. This is a very serious inconvenience especially when the device rolling along the rail is heavily loaded and is also especially objectionable in the case of power operated machines controlled by one man such as applicants track drill disclosed in U. S. Patent 1,408,87 2, issued March 7 1922, or inthe power operated wrench disclosed inappli cation, Serial No. 654,789, filed July 30, 1923, because in such cases one man is obliged to lift the machine at frequent intervals as it moves along the track and such difficulties tend to seriously interfere with the introduction of labor saving machines of this class. These machines, moreover, are arranged to operate upon the side of the rail at a predetermined height which is gaged by the rollers on the rail and may be required to operate with the rollers at any position on the rail; it is apparent that these end spacers in raising the machine changes its alignment with relation to the side of the rail necessitating a special adjustment at this point thereby causing delay and introducing unnecessary expense, besides rendering the machine unstable'on the rail due to the tilting of one end at the point where it is in operation. I A principal object of this invention is to provide a means whereby the above mentioned difficulties of the prior art are obviated and by which a device having rolling engagement with a railway rail may be rolled along the rail and positioned accurately at any point thereon freely and without impediment by reason of the provention to both rails of a track;

trusion of end spacers above the running face of the rail.

A further object of this invention is to provide a means of the type specified which i will have rolling engagement with the rail only in so far as a longitudinal portion thereof is concerned which is not in alignment with a protruding end spacer, and another object of the invention is to enable machines having rolling engagement with the rail and a mechanism aligned with the of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail and the particular embodiments selected to illustrate the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, wherein'I have illustrated particular preferred physical em bodimentsof my invention, and wherein like characters of reference designated corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which? Fig. 1' illustrates a side view of a railwayfrail and protruding end spacer with a structure embodying my invention resting thereon;

Fig. 2 illustrates another physical embodiment of my means which is herein shown as a grooved wheel;

Fig. 3 shows a machine for drilling the web of arail having a rolling engagement with the'rail constructed according-to my invention;

Fig. 4 shows a means of applying my in- Figs. 5 and 6 show alternative means of securing rolling engagement with a rail embodying my invention;

Figs. 7 and 8 show another form of my invention securing rolling engagement with a rail having a clearance in the centre of the rail, and I I Fig. 9 shows an arrangement of applying my invention with a pair of independent rollers.

Referring to the drawings, 11 and 12 are the ends of a pair of abutting rails which are spaced by the spacer 13, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The usual form of this spacer is wedge shaped in the body between the rails with the top turned over at an angle to rest. upon the head ofthe rail. The protrusion of this top above the rail offers. an obstruction onv thecentre of the rail with. the. objections mentioned and it is the purpose of the invention to provide means for rolling a machine along the track without obstruc tion from these protrusions. These spacers are placed between the. rails when they are laid and are removed before trains are operate d over: the I track.

One form of applying this invention is embodied in the roller 14which, through its axist15,may support. a' frame or carriage. As shownin Fig; 2', this rolleris. provided with double flanges'16- and 1'? such as would be used on a carriage arranged to roll upon one ail of'the track. The face of this roller between the. flanges is providedwith an annular groove 18 aligning with the vertical centre of the rail and with the turned over head of thespacer 13 which it. passes over with-a clearance as indicated in Fig. 2. The

conical: flanges of the roller, it will be noted,

pass overand bear upon the rounded corners of the rail head thus providing a clearance space between the: rail and the centre of the roller; @ther. means for securing this result are described hereafter.

In Fig. 3 the application of these rollers is shown to a machine for drilling the web of the rail and in which the drill is positioned with respect to" the. rail by the rollers on the rail. In this construction the roller 14 supports apairof side frames 21'-21', one of wliiclr carriesv the bracket 22 supporting themotorj 23 having the. fly-wheel 25 and the shaft 24 which carries'the belt pulley 26 and Which-drives the pulley28 by the belt 27. Pulley 28 by a train of gears enclosed by housing 29 and supported by bracket 30 operates the drill: mechanism 31 and the drill spindle 33-. The spindle 33,.it will. be noted, is positioned with respect to the web of the rail by the roller 14 and. the adjustable foot 32. The drill is fed. to the rail by'the operating handle 34'. A. drilling machine: of this: type is disclosed in U. S. Patent 1,408,872, issued in my name on March 7,1922.

The drilling machine is balanced to roll along. the .rail. on a pair of rollers similar to 14 and may be used. for drilling or similar purposes on a rail that has just been set up preparatory to installation in the track and in which. the rail spacers are in place. The machine, it will be observed is free to roll along the rail from place to place without obstruction from the rail spacers and with out changing; the alignment of the drill with respect to the rail when a roller is stopped over anend spacer. at a drillingv location.

In Fig. 4 my invention is adapted to sin-.

gle flanged rollers or wheels running on opposite rarls and connected by the axle 41 such as may be used on hand cars or similar railroad vehicles. The annular groove 18 is provided in each wheel and clears the end spacers in each rail and adds greatly to the convenience in operating loadedhand cars during the construction of a railroad.

In Fig. 5 another means of carrying out my invention is shown which, instead of using flanged rollers, uses a roller with a V groove as indicated at 42 which engages the outer corners of the rail head and passes over the centre with a clearance;

In Fig, 6 a construction similar to Fig; 5 is shown but instead of using a V groove, a circular groove as indicated at 43 is used which secures the necessary. clearance in the centre of the rail head. I

In Fig. 7 the desired results are secured by a built up roller comprising the discs 44 and 45 with the spacer 46- of smaller diameter than the discs, thus securing the necessary clearance in the centre of the: rail head.

In Fig. 8 the construction is somewhat similar to F 7 with the discs 47 and 48 mounted upon thev axle 49 and having integrally formed abutting spacers as shown which provide an enlarged clearance above the centre of the rail head.

The means shown in Fig, 9for securing the obiect-s of the lIlVQilt-IOII comprise a: pair of inclined rollers 51 and 52 pivoted to the frame with a clearance as shown above the centre of the rail head.

Although I have particularly described the construction of physical embodimentsof my invention, and explained the operation and principle thereof, nevertheless, I desire to have it understood that the forms: selected are merely illustrative, but do not exhaust the possible physical embodimentsof the idea of means underlying my. invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a machine having a tool for operating on a railway rail which must be; aci curately positioned longitudinally of the rail when in use, the combination of a. device supporting the tool and movable along and at least partially supportable by at least one rail of the track having at an end of some rail section a projection extending above the top face of the rail an in'effect' flanged wheel interposed between the device and the rail supporting the device and rollable; on

substantially a portion of the: top face of the rails, said wheel intermediate its sides formed with a cut away portion whereby said wheel may pass substantially freely without impediment over said projection whereby entire, or partial liftingof the-device is avoided upon passing said rail end and the'device may be accurately positioned at anv desired point along the rail.

2. In a machine having a tool for operating on a railway rail which must be accurately positioned longitudinally of the rail when in use, the combination of a device supporting the tool and movable along and at least partially supportable by at least one rail of the track having at an end of some rail section a projection extending above the top face of the rail; means interposed between the device and the rail supporting the device and rollable on substantially a portion only of the top face of the rail, said portion being out of longitudinal alignment with the said projection whereby said wheel may pass substantially freely without impediment over said projection whereby entire or partial lifting of the device is avoided upon passing said rail end and the device may be accurately positioned at any desired point along the rail.

3. In a machine having a tool for operating on a railway rail which must be accurately positioned longitudinally of the rail when in use, the combination of a device supporting the tool and movable along and at least partially supportable by at least one rail of the track having at an end of some rail section a projection extending above the top face of the rail; means interposed between the device and the rail supporting the device and rollable only on substantially longitudinal portions whereby said wheel may pass substantially freely without impediment over said projection whereby entire or partial lifting of the device is avoided upon passing said rail end and the device may be accurately positioned at any desired point along the rail.

4. In a machine having a tool for operating on a railway rail which must be accurately positioned longitudinally of the rail when in use, the combination of a device supporting the tool and movable along and at least partially supportable by at least one rail of the track having at an end of some rail section a projection extending above the top face of the rail; means interposed between the device and the rail supporting the device and rollable on substantially a portion only of the top face of the rail, said portion being out of longitudinal alignment with the said projection and means to maintain proper coaction between said first mentioned means and the rails whereby said wheel may pass substantially freely without impediment over said projection whereby entire or partial lifting of the device is avoided upon passing said rail end and the device may be accurately positioned at any desired point along the rail.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 29th day f May, 1925.

EDWARD A. EVERETT. 

